Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh
Lee was a man and a product of his times. He was neither unusually cruel or evil, nor was he saintly.
The proper context of people like Lee is in the shadow of our famous statesmen and generals like Lincoln and Grant, or (for those desperately reaching) "founding fathers" like Washington and Jefferson. Thus:

[American hero], despite his flaws, was a leading light in our history and institutions who under conditions of great adversity did right and good when it counted. Robert Lee, despite his virtues, was a committed slaver who threw his chips in with the treasonous project of vitalizing white-landlord supremacy when it counted.